"OhGod!Iamamonsteroh．Ihaveittedevindabhorrentcrimesanddeservetobepunished．Letyourwrathbeonmyheadalone．Ibegyouplease，pleasespareKingDimitriandsafeguardhisKingdom!"Medusaneverprayedinherlife,butnowundersuchcircumstances，prayingwastheonlythingshecoulddo．Gradually，shesawbelowher，themyriadoflightsofhumans．Shewasamazedattheprogressmadebyman’sevolution．Thoughhumanlifespanwasshort,theyhadaccumutedknowledgeandhadowionaftergeiontoposterity,overingthelimitationsofmortality．Manistheanimalthatbestusehismentalpowersandistherefod’smostperfectcreationofwhichhemustbeveryproud．Butuptothepresent，manhasnotbeeooverethethreatoffate，illnessah．Swiftasthewind，Medusapassedthefactorieswhereworkwentroundtheclock，passedthemazeoffreewaysextendinginalldires，untilshecametotheviitywhereKingDimitri’scallforhelpinated．Shehovereduponhighforamoment,makingatopographicalsurveyofthearea．Then，havingascertaiarget，sheplungeddownintothehighlycivilizedsocietyofhumanbeings．
SinceDimitriandhisfriendswereonlygoingtohisbanktogethismoney,whyshouldtherebehindranceseriousenoughforhimtosummonMedusa?penedwasthis：Afterpartingfromthegolden-hairedMegginn,theyleftthesuburbangasstationanddroveswiftlyoverthesmoothfreeway．Thundercrashedandlightningfshed,momentarilylightingupthedarknight．Richard,theoperatorofthemovingvehicle,seemedalittledauheelements．Hismeagerfadbody,whiallyemittedboundlessenergy，seemedabnormallynervousandtehewasstillinhighspirits．Hekeptgingnesandsteppingonthegas,drivingaggressivelytopassthefrontofhim，butheneversucceeded．Thecarsbehindhim，however，passedhimonebyone，causinghimtocryoutinexasperation，
"WhenIamrich,Iwillbuythefastestsportscarthereis,andwatchmeshowthemathingortwo!"
Dimitri，whowassittiohim，noticedhisoddbehaviorandthoughts.Thingswereoutoftheordinarythatday．Eveherwasabnormal.Ithadbeenwarmandsunnyiernoon,butwherewasthedazzlingsunnow?Goheotherendoftheearthaswasthenormalorbitoftheevolvis．Astrangeideacametohismind．Thatbigbrightballseemedlikeahugemicroscopeandthesevenbillionpeoplethatpoputedtheearthwerelikewrigglingmicranisms,gingmomentarily；forinhumanpopution，birthahhappenedeverysed．Thoughthemostadvancedsdteologyhadsucceedediinglifeiubes,theycouldnotasyetaccuratelycalcutethespanoflifeofthatwhichithadcreated．Onlyohingwascertaineveryliviurecouldliveonlyonce．Hemusedontheinequalityofthelivesofthedifferentpeoplewholiveduhishugemicroscope．Hethought,
"I,Dimitri,amsuccessfundhappy,effortlesslyaccumutingincalcublewealth;butthereareotherswhleandworktinuously,yetevermergefromthedeeppitofpoverty．Everyonelivesuhesamedensinglensandeachhasonlyonelife,buttheselivesmaybeasdifferentasheavenfromearth.”
Thunderrumbledonandlightningtiolightupthedarksky．Jamaz,sittingatthebackseat,wascalmandquietasusual,buthisbroadchestheavedlikethewavesonaturbulentsea．Hisheartitatingfastandfuriously，betrayinghistensioohimsatYokoandMarcellina，whosemyhaightlycspedtogether．TheywerepainfullyawarethatinspiteofDimitri’sfidentassurahatallwouldbewell，therewasaswordofDamocleshangingoveralltheirheadsthatcouldbriothematanymoment．Afterall,theyweregoingtorobabank．Influencedbyhissurroundings,Dimitrifeltanaggingsenseofnervousness．Hescoffedathimself，sayingtherewerenogroundsforapprehension，afterall，hewasonlytakingmoofhisownpocketandgivingitawaytohisfriends．Hetriedtoassurehimselfthattherewasnothingtoworryabout．Hehadstashedupsomuchricheseffortlesslythatoneman’saccumutioncausedmanymoretockit．Therefore,hewaogivesomeofitaway．Infaedayhewouldopenuphiscoffersandwithoravagentsweepdistributeallhisrichestotheothehomelessandthedisabledwhoweremicranismsuhesamemicroscope．Forlikehim,theytoocouldonlyliveoneofthemhaveneverseenthebrilliantsun,andsomespenttheirliveslistlessandapathetialimbooftheirown．
Astheteredcitylimits,thetallimposingmajesticstructureofWorldBankcameintoview，dominatingthearea．TheydrovetothebackofthebuildingwhereDimitriusedhismastercardtounlocktheentraheundergroundparkinglot．Thegaragedoorrolledupslowly,likeanenormousmonsteropeningitsrgeandfierce-lookingmouth-aproduodernsce．Theeborateelectricsystemwaslikenervesspreadingovereverypartofitsbody-theairditioning,itsbreathingsystem；ipes，itscolossalbloodvessels；steelstructure,itsskeleton；a,itsstrongunyieldingmuscles．Intheyearsofdeeprecession，itwasleanandfamishedasawildanimal,leftdestituteihofwinter，aremitieswouldnotbeadversetoswallowingitsmaster．Usinghismastercard，Dimitriledhislittlegroupintothebuilding,magicallyopeningallthedoors．Hewasnotfamiliarwiththebuilding,buttheystumbledonuntiltheycametothebighall,hisfamiliarndmark．Notknowinganyshortcuts,hetooktheonlyrouteheknew,uptoMr.Kaffee’sofficeatthetopofthebuildingandthendownagaintothevaultviatheprivateelevator．Theyseemedtobegoingfromthestomachofthegiantmonsteralonghisspiohishead,theheadquartersofthetralnervoussystemandthendownagaintohisabdomen,whereallthericheswerestored．Whattheydidnotknowwas,assoonastheysteppedintothebuilding,theycameuhesurveilnceofvideocameras．
IroomsurrouVss,Mr．Kaffeewascloselymonittheireverymove．Behindhimwerehistrustedlieutenants,AllenandSteven．Uglyandft-facedStevenstoodthere，stodmuscur，lightshiningonhisalmostbaldhead，coveredwithonlyafewstrandsofhair．Allen’ssharpeyesweregluedtothesasfiguresflickeredby,silentastheshadowsandreflesdriftier．Theclose-uptenanitri，Richardaappearedonthesonebyone．Mr．Kaffeelookedilyatallthesedriftingfaces,whichweresilentasthephantomsfloatingaboutinthecemeteries．Hehadtodestroythemall．Itwashisstceatsurvival,ortheoofallmaybehimself．Hehadbeenjugglingwiththebookswiththehelpofhighlypaidandnotsoscrupulousgeniusesofating,sothegradualtransitionoffundshadescapedthesharpandevervigihegover．Now,hehadboughtbackallthesharesthathadinallybeloohimattheexpenseofhists,whoseatsheruthlesslyplundered．Butwhathecouldn’tpossiblyhavepredictedwastherecession，whichbotchedallhispns．Itwasn’tjustpersonalbadluck,fortheever-deepeningrecessionwasworldwideandtotallybeyondhistrol．Hisloadwasgettingheavierandheavier,andhisembezzlementwouldiablybeexposed，unlesshecouldruboutDimitri．Itwashisonlyhopeofsurvival,onewhichhecouldgo．Sohesatinthesecretroom,tautlyscrutinizilegroup．Dimitrioherhand，wassurveyingthebrilliantlylitemptyhallinsatisfa.EvidentlyMr．Kaffeehadcarriedouthisordersmeticulously．ThenaiveandvivaciousYokowalkeduptohim,linkedherfingersinhisandwhisperedsoftly，
"Doyouremembertellingmeooallersintomyhome?Aren’tyoudoingjustthatnow?"
"Thesituationisdifferent,”saidDimitri,lookingathersmilingly．"Hereyoumakeyourselvesathome.”
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